Sex-abuse scandals could test Pope Francis

Updated 2:48 pm, Saturday, July 12, 2014

Photo: Andreas Solaro, AFP/Getty Images

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Pope Francis delivers a speech during a meeting with youth of the diocese on July 5, 2014 in Castelpetroso, southern Italy, as part of his one day visit in the Molise region. AFP PHOTO / ANDREAS SOLAROANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images less

Pope Francis delivers a speech during a meeting with youth of the diocese on July 5, 2014 in Castelpetroso, southern Italy, as part of his one day visit in the Molise region. AFP PHOTO / ANDREAS SOLAROANDREAS ... more

Photo: Andreas Solaro, AFP/Getty Images

Sex-abuse scandals could test Pope Francis

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Pope Francis has washed the feet of Rome's homeless and spoken tolerantly about gays, creating a humble, fresh image for the leader of a tradition-bound institution. But he's moved cautiously in dealing with a decade-old sex-abuse scandal, one of the Vatican's most pressing problems.

The pope has defrocked several church insiders and formed a commission to look into the issue and suggest reforms. But until last week he hadn't met with victims, as the previous leader, Pope Benedict XVI, had, or spoken in the heartfelt terms he often uses.

This careful distance may be fading. Last week, Francis met with six survivors - two each from Germany, Ireland and Britain - in one-on-one sessions. He followed that with remarks that signaled a sharper direction in both his emotional thinking and church directives.

"I beg for your forgiveness," he said in remarks at a Mass he shared with the six. He went a step further: The church was to blame "for the sin of omission on the part of church leaders who didn't respond adequately to reports of abuse."

His remarks took note of two major themes in the troubling crisis. In the first instance, Catholic leaders are beginning to acknowledge the scale of the abuse, most widely publicized in Europe and the United States. There can be no doubt that the shameful acts occurred and the church must apologize and not evade the claims.

The second part is proving harder, especially for the centuries-old operations of the Vatican, a quasi-political world that floats outside most legal systems. What steps must it take to discipline leaders who ignored the scandal, and what steps are needed to make sure it won't happen again?

Francis' remarks could mark a beginning. By mentioning church leaders as responsible for the abuses, he is setting up expectations that there could be sweeping changes. These local leaders will be on notice that Rome is watching, and new rules on handling abuse claims will be enforced.

In the U.S., two cardinals in Boston and Los Angeles were caught in the scandal and effectively replaced, though hardly punished. Other church higher-ups have continued on via transfers to new dioceses, a favorite church tactic to dodge responsibility.

The real test lies ahead. The pope is attempting to breathe new life into church institutions across the board. He's asking Wall Street for help in remaking the Vatican's bank, a secretive institution linked to financial misdeeds in Italy. He's called in new advisers to update public affairs, no small thing for a religious leader with 4.2 million Twitter followers and a Pope App to reach his global flock.

These modernizing moves underscore Francis' firm intentions in confronting sex abuse. But the scale of the problem and reluctance of the church's vast system totaling hundreds of bishops and cardinals could undercut even a popular, determined pontiff.

These functionaries, essentially the church's front-line managers, fended off the problem for years by switching pedophile priests to new parishes and burying complaints while Rome did nothing to object. Even John Paul II, the beloved pontiff now on track to sainthood, avoided the topic. Running the church - or attempting to carry out change - was a task that led Benedict to retire last year.

By meeting with abuse survivors and hearing their stories, Francis is showing he's open to finding solutions to the problem. But he needs to move on and lay out reforms that will eradicate sex abuse for good. It could be the biggest test of his papacy.